A Mode of Preventin 


FRAUD AT THE SALLOT-iOX 


AND OF FACILITATING TI1F EXERCISK OF 


THE RIGHT OF SUFFRAGE. 




Citizens : 


ff 


We submit for your consideration, the following paper 


recently read before our section, by citizen, JThos. J. Durant. The 
subject, like every thing that relates to the improvement of repre¬ 
sentative government, is eminently entitled to the attention of our 
Association. 


Without accepting the plan herein proposed as a finality, we 


deem it highly suggestive and would like to hear your views oi 


the same subject. 

Occasional interchanges of opinion between the various sections 
of the I. W. A., will tend, at once, to stimulate thought, to pro¬ 


mote the only safe and desirable harmony of views, that which 


follows a thorough consideration of the subjects before us, and to 
draw our members into closer and more friendly relations. We 
therefore suggest that any reply you may make to us, be also sent, 
should you find it convenient, to the other sections of the 1. W. A 
in this country. 

Fraternally yours, 

THOS. J. DURANT, 

R. J. HINTON, 

M. M. WALBRIDGE. 

T. C. GREY, 

E. T. PETERS. 

Committee of Section 23, I. W. A. 

With regard to suffrage in our popular elections, two circum¬ 
stances call for profound attention. They are these: First, that 
in certain localities, ballot-box stuffing and repeating carry elec- 





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July -t, 1 

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For Governor: 

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For State Senate: 



For Stale General Assembly; 


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1'or Congress: 

JOHN 

[L. S.] 

SCRIVENER, 

Notary Public. 

John Cumming, 

Candidate (or Agent.) 



Thomas Willing. 

Candidate (or Agent.) 

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tions against lawful votes; second, that women may soon be suf¬ 
fragans. The first should be checked, the latter should be made 
comfortable. 

To effect both these objects, tho following system of voting is 
proposed : 

There shall be a faithful registration of votes. 

The name of each registered voter shall bear a distinct number 
on the registration list, which shall be numbered from one up¬ 
wards consecutively, and a registration shall be made in each 
registration district established by law. 

Each registration district shall be an election district, and in 
each there shall be prepared a book similar to a bank check-book, 
like what appears on the next page. 

The left-hand portion of the plate is the stub which remains in 
the book ; the right-hand portion is the ticket, to be separated 
from the stub and delivered to tho voter. The stub remains in 
the custody of the officers of registration, and shows how many 
lawful tickets have been issued. Instead of being separated by a 
vertical cut, the ticket may be separated by an irregular line from 
the stub, which might in some cases afford additional security. 

^ This ticket-book is to be made up at the close of the registra¬ 
tion. Each stub and annexed ticket is to bear the same number, 
and these are to correspond with the numbers on the registration 
list, from one consecutively upwards to the highest number on the 
registration list, and no further. 

Each ticket is to be signed and stamped or sealed by a public 
officer previously designated by law for that purpose, and in pres¬ 
ence of the candidates, if they wish to be present, or of persons 
appointed by them ; and each ticket shall also be signed by the 
candidates or a person selected by the supporters of the candi¬ 
dates on either side. Instead of this, the ticket might be signed 
by some public officer, not himself a candidate, but previously 
designated by law for the purpose; and as the object of these pro¬ 
visions is merely to authenticate beyond a doubt the legality of 
the ticket, any other scheme adequate to effect that end may be 
adopted. 

As to the names of candidates to be voted for, the tickets are to 
be blank; the names only of the offices to be filled are to be found 
on the ticket when delivered to the voter. 

Each ticket, after having been in this manner numbered, stamped 
and verified, is to be placed in a letter envelope and sealed up; 


4 


and then all these envelopes, containing each a ticket, are to be 
thoroughly intermingled and shuffled up together, in order that 
the number which will be placed on the list of voters made up at 
the time the votes are counted at the close of the election may 
not correspond with the number of votes on the registration list, 
to the end that the secrecy of the ballot may remain inviolate. 

After having been thus thoroughly shuffled together, each enve¬ 
lope containing a ticket is to be addressed to a name on the regis¬ 
tration list until all are thus addressed ; and the registration lists 
and the addressed envelopes, therefore, correspond exactly. Each 
envelope is then delivered to the voter, personally, whose name it 
bears. 

Each voter puts on his ballot the names of the eondidates he 
may prefer, and he can vote with no other ballot than that. 

At each election there may be as many places for voting, and 
the polls may be kept open so long as convenience may require. 

Polling the votes consists merely in the act of each voter slip¬ 
ping a bollot into a convenient box, such, for instance, as the iron 
street post office boxes, of which the election commissioners keep 
the keys. There is to be no challenging or questioning of the 
voter, and the operation is to be performed with no more troi^hlcj 
or unpleasant contact than is met with in putting a letter in the 
post office. 

At the time fixed by law, the ballot-boxes are opened and the 
ballots counted by the proper officer, and publicly declared. 

Any paper or ballot found in the box not numbered, stamped 
and verified, as above stated, is thrown out by the officers whose 
duty it is to count the ballots. 

In this system “ ballot-box stuffing” and “ repeating” cannot be 
practised ; it would save time, trouble, and much of the annoyance 
now experienced, and so likely to prove very disagreable to wo¬ 
men should the present mode of voting be persisted in. 

The essential idea of the plan originated with Dr. A. de Bon¬ 
nard, of paris. 

T. J. I). 

Washington, D. C., February 13 th, 1827. 

(5 7 12 — 

ADDRESS REPLY TO 

Box 99, D. C. 

Washington, D. C. 








